Training · PE-1 · Lesson 06 of 08
The private equity resume
The rule
PE recruiters read for deal evidence. If the page cannot show what you modelled, priced or diligenced, it reads as interest without proof.
Deal sheet first
PE recruiters want evidence of transaction work. Many candidates attach a separate deal sheet listing each transaction: client, size, type, outcome and your role. If the resume shows deals, the reader can picture you on day one.
- Deal
- Sale of industrial distributor to strategic buyer
- Size
- $450m EV
- Status
- Closed 2025
- Role
- Built operating model and LBO, managed data room of 1,200 docs
What each bullet should show
Show what you built, what you analysed and what decision it supported. 'Built LBO model used to set $380m bid' beats 'Worked on sponsor sell-side process'.
- ·Modelling: LBO, merger, three-statement, DCF.
- ·Diligence: customer analysis, quality of earnings, market sizing.
- ·Judgement: a recommendation you made and why.
If you lack deal experience
Coming from consulting, corporate development or another background, emphasise analysis of businesses: cost-reduction projects with quantified results, market entry studies, acquisitions you supported. Include a personal investment thesis or case competition only if you can defend it at length.
Formatting and length
One page, clean layout, no summary paragraph. Education with grades and test scores where strong. Experience in reverse chronological order. A short interests line helps interviews start well.
Be ready for any line
Expect to be asked to walk through any deal on your page in detail: why the buyer bought, the multiple paid, the financing, and whether you would have invested. If you cannot discuss a deal at that depth, rehearse until you can or remove it.
Hold onto this
- ·List transactions with your role, the size, and the part you built.
- ·Add one line that shows you can read a business, not just a spreadsheet.
- ·Keep it to one page and cut anything generic about teamwork.
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Education, not financial advice. Figures may be simplified for illustration.